15 years ago there was a group of friends who decided to start a hip hop group. They managed to turn a small basement of a bookstore into a place where they could practice and perform. They made up lyrics on the spot, based on suggestions from the audience. The group Freestyle Love Supreme would remain unknown for a long time, but a number of members have become superstars. Christopher Jackson broke through with his role of Washington in Hamilton, Thomas Kail accompanied the group and also did for Hamilton. And the best known is of course Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote Hamilton and now has a large number of filmroles to his name. He has also written several Disney songs for Moana and Mary Poppins Returns. This documentary shows the journey they have been on and the role the group played in their success.
Director Andrew Fried uses both old and new footage in this film. From a time when the group was still unknown, when they went to the UK to perform at a festival. He alternates this with personal interviews with the various old and new members and pieces from a group of shows that the group did recently, which, thanks to Hamilton’s success, were packed every night. As a viewer you will learn a lot about the dynamics within the group, what they mean to each other, what issues they have had, but this documentary still doesn’t manage to keep your attention sufficiently.
Maybe it has to do with expectations, but if you as a group are known for freestyles, I would like to see a lot of that. MC’s like Supernatural , Chris Turner or Harry Mack know how to make a huge impression by showing what they can come up with on the spot. We Are Freestyle Love Supreme was, in my opinion, a bit like a “making of” documentary of an Avengers film, in which the superheroes are interviewed and tell all kinds of details about their own and mutual history and you occasionally have an action moment. The performances seem to have been filmed in its entirety, but as a viewer you get to see so little of it. The result is that you don’t get a good feeling about the skills of this group. The chemistry is clear, but due to the lack of real performances, this documentary is unfortunately a slow, boring film. Interesting if you want more background and, for example, have seen the group perform, but less interesting if that is not the case.
[score4]
Oh god, I’m getting horrible flashbacks of horrendous acapella groups singing for kids back in elementary school about not doing drugs and such.